Means for facilitating starting of gas-engines.



C. H, BELKNAP.

MEANS FOR FACILITATING STARTING 0F GA-S ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10. ms.

1,230,840. Patented June 26, 1917.

CHARLES H. BELKNAP, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MEANS FOR FACILITATING STARTING OF GAS-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented June 26, 1917.

Application filed March 10. 1916. Serial No. 83,263.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. BELKNAP, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Facilitating Starting of Gas-Engines, of

comes chilled and the explosive mixture forms with diificulty, or in very severe cold may not form at all. Afterthe car has been running for a few revolutions the engine warms up' and the trouble ceases, but motors sometimes stall when far from assistance, and with modern high power cars having considerable compression the power demanded from the starting motor is so large that the battery may become exhausted before the car starts at all.

To obviate this I provide means for heating the air entering the carbureter; and to effect this I interpolate in the air-intake a suitable heater, which in the form in which I have embodied my invention is an electric one, the details of construction of which are also of my invention. This is of fireproof construction throughout, and is as closely as sociated with the carbureter as possible, so that there is no opportunity for the air to become cool and lose its efficiency before it mixes with the gas or vapor.

In moderate climates, for example, where the temperatures may occasionally run as low as zero Fahrenheit, but average some what higher, only a moderate heat is required to effect the purposes of my invention; but where the range is lower, say from +10 to -25 or lower, a greater heat is required. To adjust the device to the various temperature conditions, I provide a suitable switch by means of which a part of the resistance wire of the heater may be cut out or short-circuited, according to the connections, permitting a larger current to flow and heating the remainder to a greater degree. Of course there may be more than two degrees of heat if desired, but in general I have not found it necessary. The usual voltage being only about 6, ordinary switches such as are commonly used on galvanic circuits are all that is needed, a plug out-out or ordinary single-pole blade switch, for example.

In orderto avoid waste of current by leaving the heater on when the car is not in use, I also arrange a cut-out switch so that when the door adjacentto the drivers seat is opened it will also open the switch automatically, the arrangement being such that the closing of the door does not close the switch, whichmust be restored' to position by hand to c'omplete the circuit. I thus prevent putting away the car with the heater turned on, to find later that the battery is completely depleted and the starter inoperative.

The construction of the heater isas follows: A chamber of suitable size is intercalated in the air-intake pipe of the carbureter, as near as possible to the latter; those which I have employed have been of three or three and a half inches in diameter internally; within this chamber are disks of fireproof material, each having part cut away, thecut-away parts being of about the same area as the cros's-section of the intake pipe, so as not to throttle the air; the cut away portions are placed in staggered relation, so that the air is forced to travel over. all of the disks in succession. Upon these 1 is a diagram of connections, etc.; Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the heater; Fig. 3 is a section on the line of Fig. 2; Fig. l shows the cut-out switch in position on the dash of an automobile.

In Fig. 1, A is the heating device, inter calated in the airintake pipe B of the carburetor C. C is the drain-pipe of the carbureter, and C the pet-cock; D the pipe leading to the usual manifold. Obviously these parts may be of any usual construction. The heater is an electric one, the coil being marked A leads E, E E run from the ends and suitable points in the coil to the switch F, which makes contact at f, to include a greater or less amount of wire in circuit, as above explained. G is the source of current, usually the battery commonly present on motor-cars. At H is shown the cut-out switch referred to in my statement of invention, making contact with the live contact It or the idle contact 723, as already explained. The rod H is turned over at one end and thus draws the switch in the direction to the right, but slides freely in the other direction, so that it does not close the switch.

I11 Figs. 2 and 3, .A is the outer shell of the heater, closed at the ends by the heads A A which are provided with cylindrical flanges A A threaded at A to couple with the air-intake pipe B, as explained.

- A is the coil, the construction of which has been indicated; the disks are lettered A and are shown staggered in Fig. 2, their shape being shown in Fig. 3; I have shown six, but other numbers may be used. They are strung upon the bolts A A and are separated by washers of insulating material, lettered A. If molded material be used for the disks, the washers may be formed integral therewith.

In Fig. 4, I is a motor-car, the door of which adjacent to the drivers seat is lettered I the cut-out switch H is shown on the dash of the car, and the link or rod H is connected to the door by any suitable form of flexible connection permitting the door to open; when the door swings, the rod opens the switch, but when the door closes the switch remains open until the driver resets it.

is absolutely controllable, and is applied solely to the air and not to the carbureter or the gasolene. Some of these are dependent upon the exhaust, but of course these must have a hot-water system or similar reserve of heat, and are apt to be frozen themselves just when most needed. There being no back pressure through the carbureter, my heater in its described relation never comes in contact with the gas-supply, and if overheated does no harm whatever. Electric heaters have been proposed for kerosene engines, to be located in the cylinder head and volatilize the oil; but these are highly dangerous devices, since they act upon the mixture itself, and if allowed to become too hot will ignite it on the suction stroke, even firing back into the carbureter itself, with disastrous results.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and wish to protect by Letters- Patent of the United States is 1. In an explosion engine the combination with the air intake pipe of a carbureter, of a heating device composed of a shell, diaphragms of insulating material within the shell, coils constituting heating elements of an electric heater arranged upon the surfaces of the diaphragms and a source of electric energy.

2. In an explosion engine the combination with the air intake pipe of a carbureter, of a heating device acting upon the air consisting of a shell, mica diaphragms arranged in staggered relation within the shell, coils of wire constituting the elements of an electric heating device arranged upon the surfaces of the diaphragms so that the air in passing through the device must pursue a tortuous course over the coils, a source of electric energy, and means for connecting the shell and the pipe.

3. The combination, with the air-intake pipe of a carbureter, of a heating device for the air; a motor-car, a door therefor, and means operated by the opening of the door, for putting the heating device out of action.

4. The combination, with the air-intake pipe of a carbureter, of a heater for the air; a motor-car, a door therefor, and means, operated by the opening of the door, for putting the heater out of action, such means be ing nonreversible, so that closing the door does not restore the action of the heater.

5. The combination, with the air-intake pipe of a carbureter, of an electric heater for the air; a motor-car, a door therefor, a switch for cutting out the heater, and a connection between the door and the switch causing the opening of the door to operate the switch.

6. The combination, with the air-intake pipe of a carbureter, of an electric heater for the air; a motor-car, a door therefor, a cutout switch for the heater, and a non-reversible connection between the door and the out-out switch; whereby the opening of the Within the shell, coils upon the diaphragms, door cuts out the heater, but the closing the diaphragms being in staggered relation thereof does not restore the switch to posito one another, and means for connecting 10 tion. the shell in the intake-pipe.

5 7. As a new article of manufacture, an In witness whereof, I have hereunto set electric heater for the air-intake pipe of a my name. carbureter, comprising a shell, diaphragms CHARLES H. BELKNAP.

00p!" 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

